Bill Gates unleash swarm of mosquitoes at TED 2009

Bill Gates, co-founder of Microsoft and renowned philanthropist, let loose a
swarm of mosquitoes at the TED 2009 technology, entertainment and design
conference in California to highlight the dangers of malaria.

Microsoft founder turned philanthropist Bill Gates released a glass full of mosquitoes at elite technology conference TED2009 in Long BeachPhoto: TED2009

By Claudine Beaumont

2:25PM GMT 05 Feb 2009

Delegates at the elite Technology, Entertainment and Design conference, which is being held in Long Beach, California, were left stunned by Gates’s stunt, which was designed to drive home the importance of investing in malaria prevention.

The event attracts the great and the good from the worlds of science, technology, business, entertainment and academia. Gates, who left his day-to-day role at Microsoft to concentrate on the philanthropic activities of his charitable trust, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, has pledged $170 million to help develop a vaccine for malaria.

“Malaria is spread by mosquitoes,” he yelled to the crowd before unleashing the insects, which were not carrying the disease. “I brought some. Here I’ll let them roam around. There is no reason only poor people should be infected.”

The organisers of the TED conference said it was an “amazing moment” and provided the audience with “food for thought”. Chris Anderson, curator of the show, quipped that the moment should be headlined, “Gates releases more bugs into the world”.

Gates said that more money was being spent finding a cure for baldness than developing drugs to combat malaria. “Now, baldness is a terrible thing and rich men are afflicted,” he joked. “That is why that priority has been set.

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“The market does not drive scientists, thinkers, or governments to do the right things. Only by paying attention and making people care can we make as much progress as we need to.”

He called for greater distribution of insect nets and other protective gear, and revealed that an anti-malaria vaccine funded by his foundation and currently in development would enter a more advanced testing phase in the coming months.

“I am an optimist; I think any tough problem can be solved,” he said.

The TED 2009 conference, which runs until Saturday, is a magnet for some of the key movers and shakers in the fields of science, technology and business. Hollywood superstars have also been known to attend some of the sessions, which this year include discussions about reframing and reconnecting the world around us, as well as a Segway tour of the Long Beach area and meditation classes.